News
July 20, 2016Schenectady JCC to present ‘A Salty Jew: Being a Jewish Sailor in Today’s Navy’
The Schenectady JCC will present “A Salty Jew: Being a Jewish Sailor in Today’s Navy,” the personal tale of a U.S. sailor who spent 20 years finding and maintaining his Jewish identity while serving as an active duty Naval Officer, on Sunday, July 24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the JCC facility, located at 2565 Balltown Road in Schenectady.
A $5 per person entry fee will be collected and donated to the JWB – Jewish Chaplains Council, which supports the more than 10,000 Jewish men and women currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Presenter Adam Samuels, a Capital Region native, is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy who has served his country across the globe. He will share stories of his efforts to maintain his Jewish identity during travels to countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. His presentation features a humorous mix of tales of preparing for or conducting Jewish holiday traditions while deployed, training to be a Jewish Lay Leader, interacting with other enlisted sailors or officers and other Jews, difficulties keeping Kosher or semi-Kosher at sea, overcoming ignorance or anti-Semitism and engaging the global Jewish community.
Samuels volunteered for and participated in a crash course to become a lay chaplain for smaller ships that don’t have a chaplain on board. As a lay chaplain, he has organized a Seder meal while on a destroyer (and he was the only Jew on board), and planned High Holiday services on a carrier. For those services, the Navy helicoptered Jewish sailors from other ships in the battle group to the carrier for services. Samuels’ experiences also include serving as a liaison to ships from India, Korea, Great Britain and Israel during war exercises with those countries.
For more information on the July 24 presentation, call (518) 377-8803.
